Slice of Pi 2 (16 page)

“And you don't want anything more? Somebody to come home to? Somebody who makes delicious pastries and shit?” Jen's cosmo arrived, and she downed half of it. “Oh fuck, this is delicious.”

Iris waved the server back over and ordered waters for both of them. As the server went to fill a couple of glasses, she wondered when she'd become the responsible one. “I'm happy with things as they are.” She couldn't say she hadn't been thinking the same thing lately, even just a few days into being with Owen. She was enjoying herself way too much, looking forward to their time together. Of course, it was probably just because he got her off. “Hey, speaking of making the most of the short few years we apparently have left on this earth, there's a freelance art position opening up at my work. I'm going to try and get it.”

After having pounded a cosmo and a half in no time at all, Jen didn't even blink at the abrupt change of subject. “Really? Can you do that?”

“I think so.” Iris pursed her lips, not entirely sure but wanting to convince herself. “The freelance positions are usually only task-based rather than hourly. I can get them done at home. It's not like I have much else going on.”

“Except kinky sex with the baker.” Jen smiled and waggled her eyebrows suggestively, and Iris laughed. She looked younger, more carefree, and Iris hoped again that they'd always have this close friendship. Jen seemed to do marriage well, and Iris envied that, since her only experiences with marriage were its painful and inevitable dissolution. Maybe Jen would be one of the lucky few with the skills to keep it together. She thought of Owen and her burgeoning feelings for him and wished she had Jen's knack for relationships. Jen didn't need to know about the complicated state of her emotions, because she'd start pushing for Iris to make a commitment and express her feelings to Owen and all kinds of crap that she was legitimately unable to handle. She was way more comfortable sharing the kinky sex details with Jen than confessing her own emotional shortcomings.

Realizing Jen was still waiting for a response, Iris nodded. “Right, I don't have much going on except for kinky sex with the baker.” She returned to her drink.

“I'm glad you're going to apply for this freelancing thing, though.” Jen laid a hand on Iris's, her grip clumsy. “I hope you get it.”

Iris smiled, turning her hand palm-up to squeeze Jen's. “Thanks.”

They finally tumbled back to Iris's place at half past one in the morning, all of Iris's plans for staying moderately sober having gone out the window when karaoke started. Somewhere between “If I Could Turn Back Time” and “My Heart Will Go On,” Iris had lost count of how many drinks she and Jen had knocked back—all she knew was that she was seeing double of the cabbie by the time they paid their fare and stumbled up the steps to Iris's apartment.

“I am gonna be so fucked up tomorrow.” Jen rubbed her face with the heel of one hand, narrowly missing poking herself right in the eye.

“Drink some more water.” Iris wasn't in much better shape, wobbling out of her shoes and shoving them aside with one foot. The act took all her concentration. If she didn't have some water right now, and then again all night, she was going to have a bitch of a hangover.

Jen sank down into a kitchen chair. “I miss Craig and Aidan. Does that make me totally lame?”

“No, you love them. It's normal.” Iris felt the stirrings of jealousy, not because Jen wanted to be with her family, but because she didn't have any family of her own to be with. The sober part of her mind reminded her that she tended to be an emotional drunk, and this was probably just the alcohol talking. The almost embarrassing amount of alcohol.

Suddenly Iris thought of something that would distract Jen. “Hey, how about this. Tomorrow morning we can go to the bakery and I'll show off the guy I'm fucking.” As Iris finished saying it, she felt a wave of something that might turn out to be regret in the morning. In her current state, though, she couldn't fully identify the sensation.

“Ooooh, that sounds like fun! I'm in.” Jen staggered to her feet. “You have aspirin? Tomorrow morning's gonna be a bitch.”

Iris grabbed some aspirin from the bathroom and handed Jen a glass of water to chug, then downed her own before they both stumbled to Iris's room and into her bed.

She hadn't shared a bed with anyone, partner or friend, since college when Jen used to sleep over all the time in similar situations. Feeling the warmth of another body in the bed, the shifting weight next to her, was unnerving but, if she was being honest, not altogether unpleasant. Was this what it would feel like if Owen ever spent the night? Or more than one night? Iris shrugged off the thought as quickly as it had popped into her brain. That was definitely the alcohol talking.

The silence stretched on until Iris was sure Jen had fallen asleep, but then Jen spoke, her normally soft voice sounding loud in the stillness. “So why aren't you going for anything more serious with this Owen guy?”

Iris stared at the ceiling. It was almost two in the morning, she was still half drunk, and she wasn't sure which reason that came to mind was the real one.
I'm not worth settling down with.
Or maybe,
You can't build a relationship on kinky sex.
“I don't know. It's too soon.”

Jen didn't answer. Iris could hear her friend's breathing, the slow, measured exhales into the silence. Maybe that was enough of an answer, and they were going to sleep now.

When Jen spoke again, her voice was even softer. “Are you afraid of being your parents?”

Iris felt the dull press of something in her throat. Yes, of course she was afraid of that. And she was afraid that she wasn't relationship material. She'd been single for so long that maybe she was too independent for anything more. “Yes. No. I don't know, maybe. It's too soon to be thinking about the future, Jen.”

Jen's voice sounded drowsy this time. “Okay. If it gets serious, though, don't break up with me.”

Iris smiled into the darkness. By the time she realized she hadn't responded, her friend was lightly snoring, and Iris turned over to go to sleep.

Sleep was elusive, however. She tried multiple positions, always trying to remember that she was next to someone, albeit a still-drunk someone, who would resent her flopping around like a washing machine agitator. When a half hour had passed and she still wasn't asleep, she got out of bed and went back into the kitchen for another glass of water. She was mostly sober by now. Her laptop was still on the coffee table where she'd left it earlier that evening, and she sank down onto the sofa with her water and pulled the computer onto her lap. She browsed Facebook for a few minutes, but nothing new had happened since she'd logged on earlier. Her email was likewise quiet.

Before she was really conscious of it, she was surfing over to Fetlife. She hadn't spent much time on there since Owen had first given her the link, preferring instead to read the nonfiction books he'd recommended, but curiosity, boredom, alcohol, and insomnia combined to bring her into the forums themselves.

She had made an account for herself and not much else since she and Owen had started doing . . . whatever it was they were doing. Now, though, she started adding things to her profile. Fetishes. She had some sense of what she liked now, after a few times of playing with Owen, and followed the links to groups of other enthusiasts.

With her stockinged feet propped up on the coffee table, Iris started to read.

10 

Iris woke up completely
disoriented with a mild headache. She'd stayed awake way too long reading the Fetlife forums, then dragged herself to bed when she couldn't keep her eyes open anymore, and now she was tangled up in the bedsheets that she'd stolen from Jen. Jen herself was making little annoyed noises into her pillow, still half asleep. Now Iris blinked blearily over at the clock. Wow, it was almost ten. She never slept that late.

She left Jen to snuffle into the pillow and gathered up some clothes for the shower. She felt groggy, but not completely like shit. Of course, she'd drunk about a gallon of water since getting home, so that likely helped. Jen might not be feeling as good. Maybe she'd forget that Iris had promised they could go check out Owen. In the light of day and sobriety, that idea made her nervous.

As she stood under the stream of scalding hot water, she thought back to what she'd read the night before on the forums. It was comforting to know she wasn't alone in her kinks. She'd read many journal entries from people about their own dominance, both men and women, albeit more men than women. Regardless of gender, she felt a kinship with many of them. Several people spoke to the calming aspect of kink and how it seemed to focus their anxieties in a direction that felt productive and cathartic. She'd definitely had the same experience. There was something heady and overpowering about making a man obey her, especially a man like Owen. He seemed all confident and in control, but turned to absolute putty in her hands when they were playing. Having control over him was intoxicating, and from her readings, other Dommes felt the same.

One of the most interesting aspects of her search, though, came through a group she'd joined for like-minded people in Florida. It turned out that they were only two weeks away from a kink convention, the Geeky Kink Event, which was being held in a Kissimmee hotel during the first weekend of November. Intrigued by the name, Iris had begun reading about it, ending up on the official website, and then getting more and more drawn in by what she saw. Here was a kinky convention for geeky people—or maybe it was a geeky convention for kinky people? Either way, she wanted in. Of course, she couldn't imagine going to something like this alone, but maybe Owen would want to come. Maybe this would be good for them. They could probably meet other play partners, and she could separate her desire to be a Domme from her desire for Owen.

A knock on the bathroom door brought her back to the present.

“Hey, I've really got to pee.” Jen's voice was muffled through the door. “Can I come in?”

“Sure.” Iris reached for the body wash. She heard the door open and then close as Jen came in to use the bathroom.

“I feel like shit. Do you feel like shit?”

Iris couldn't see Jen, but she certainly sounded like shit, her voice hoarse and her tone groggy.

“Not that bad, actually.” Iris's headache was abating the rest of the way under the soothing hot water. She was going to need food soon, though. “I think food will help.”

“I feel like I'm gonna barf. Remind me never to drink that much again.” The toilet flushed. “Don't take all the water. My mouth tastes like an old sock and I think my tongue has grown a layer of fuzz.”

“Brush your teeth, you slob.” Iris began rinsing off. “I'll be out in a minute.”

By the time Iris and Jen got out the door on their way to Sugar Rush, it was nearly eleven. Iris couldn't help feeling her stomach bubble in a way she knew had nothing to do with the alcohol from last night as they walked the short distance down the street, the Tampa sun hot despite the fact that it was the end of October. Introducing Owen to Jen felt like the kind of thing someone did with a relationship partner. Would he read too much into this? Or be pissed at her for not running it by him first?

More important, why was a part of her dying to introduce Jen to this man?

They stopped to wait for a walk signal, and Jen glanced up at the Halloween window display in the clothing store they were just passing. “What are you doing for Halloween next weekend?” She looked over at Iris. “Don't you usually try to go to a party or something? I remember you inviting me to one last year but I couldn't go.”

Iris nodded. “PI Games always throws a party, so I'll probably go to that.” The last event had been a lot of fun, with dancing and plenty of booze, but this one probably wouldn't be as elaborate with Will having just gotten married. The budget was going to be a lot smaller, but it would probably still be a good time. “What about you?”

“Mom obligations. Mombligations. Whatever. I'm going to take Aidan trick-or-treating, and then after he goes to bed, Craig and I will stay up and watch horror movies. New tradition.” Jen tipped her sunglasses up to check out Sugar Rush as they approached. “How have you never taken me here?” She began speeding up her walk, and Iris had no choice to let go of her second thoughts and follow Jen into the shop.

The bell over the door accompanied the smell of bread, pastry, and all the other wonderful aromas of baked goods. Iris breathed it all in as Jen stepped aside to let her into the shop. Owen wasn't up front, but that wasn't a surprise at all, since he spent most of his time back in the kitchen. Iris tamped down the feeling of disappointment that sprung up at not seeing him.

“So what's good here?” Jen stepped up to the pastry case. “Everything?”

“Yeah, everything. I like the almond croissants, but it's all good. They make the bagels fresh here, too, so those are a good bet if you want something more brunchy.” Iris couldn't stop scanning the space behind the register, even though Owen must be in the back.

Sarah, the cashier whom Iris had begun to recognize, gave the two women a big smile as they approached the counter. “Hi. What can I get you two?”

Iris pulled out her wallet. “I'll have a plain bagel with cream cheese and a mocha latte.”

Jen looked back at the pastry case. “I can't decide between an almond croissant and a peach scone.”

“Get both,” Sarah suggested.

“Okay.” Jen nodded. “And a macchiato, please. I need all the espresso this morning.”

Iris paid for them both, and when Sarah turned around to go make their coffees, Jen stood up on her tiptoes to try to see into the kitchen.

“Stop being obvious.” Iris elbowed her. “He's in there, I'm sure.”

“It's no fun if I can't meet him.” Jen peeked again.

“You're, like, the opposite of subtle right now.” Iris pulled Jen back down to normal height. “Just wait for your order like a normal person, you nutjob.”

Jen pouted until they were sitting at the table, but her frown dissolved at the first bite of croissant. “Oh my god.”

“Right?” Even Iris's plain bagel with cream cheese was more flavorful than any bagel had a right to be. She'd heard something about how no bagels were as good as New York bagels, but Iris bet this one would give even the most established New York City deli a run for its money. She'd need to remember to tell Owen.
Jesus, stop obsessing about him,
Iris chided herself as she took another hearty bite.

“I wish I lived right around the corner from this place like you do. I'd be here all the time. No wonder you're fucking the baker. If I weren't married, I'd fuck him, too.” Jen rolled her eyes in overly enthusiastic enjoyment of her croissant.

“Would you keep your voice down?” Iris looked to each side of her, but none of the other patrons were paying them any attention. “I'd rather not advertise that to everyone in earshot.”

“Whatever. I hope the scone's this good.”

Just then, the door to the kitchen swung open with a particular sound that made Iris perk up like a meerkat, straightening to see over the counter. The action didn't go unnoticed by Jen, who straightened up as well. “Oh my god, is that him?” Jen didn't take her eyes off Owen, who had emerged to bring forward a tray of cupcakes and slide them into the display case. “You didn't say he was such a fox.”

“What year is this? Who says ‘fox' anymore?” Iris felt herself blush anyway. He
was
a fox, though, with his angular face, his jaw dusted with stubble, his wavy brown hair just long enough to grip with both hands as she held his mouth exactly where she wanted it . . . Oh my, this train of thought had taken an unexpected direction. She felt hot all over, but she couldn't help remembering the way he looked naked, kneeling at her feet, corded muscle and physical power subject to her every whim.

Owen looked up and spotted them. Iris saw his eyes widen, and then he smiled a tiny, mischievous smile that made something in her heart twitch. How sexy was that? He stepped around the edge of the counter to come over to them.

“Hi, Iris. Who's your friend?” He extended a hand.

“I'm Jen.” Jen shook his hand excitedly, grinning the entire time. “Iris has told me so much about you.”

Owen's eyebrows went up. “Oh, really?” He glanced at Iris, who shrugged in what she hoped looked like nonchalance. Jen was going to make Owen think that this was all a bigger deal than it was. Fortunately, Owen just gave them both a smile and changed the subject. “Enjoying your food?”

“Oh my god, yes. This is fantastic. I don't suppose you have a branch closer to the other side of the city, do you?” Jen had moved onto the scone already. “I need this in my life every day.”

“Thank you. I'm flattered. But no, we're only in this location.” Owen rubbed his forearm across his forehead, where he left a streak of flour. Iris was starting to love the sight of this guy smeared with flour. It was too hot. “Iris, I'll see you later? Around two?”

Iris nodded. “Sounds good.”

“Great. Got to get back to the kitchen.” He gave a single wave to Jen. “Nice to meet you. Glad you're enjoying the sweets.” With a light sprinkling of flour falling from his apron, he returned to the kitchen, the door swinging shut behind him.

As soon as he vanished, Jen gave Iris a devilish grin. “So what's the plan for this afternoon?”

“A little shopping. And some other things.” She shrugged. While she had a rough sense of where things would go this afternoon, it was best not to get too carried away. Still, the thought of Owen having been denied all week was so sexy. She'd brought herself to climax multiple times since Wednesday, thinking about the look on his face when she'd told him no, the desperation and need. Maybe she shouldn't get off on that, but she loved knowing he was dependent on her for his release. He'd likely be game for anything today if it earned him the right to come.

Jen finished her macchiato and set the cup down next to the empty plate where her food had been.

“Well we'd better get home so you can freshen up for your date.” Jen puckered her lips into a kissing face, which Iris returned with a look of mock disgust.

“Ugh. Shut up, you bitch. Let's get out of here.”

Jen laughed the whole way out of the shop.

---

Owen was starting to enjoy the sense of quiet anticipation that came from his impending sessions with Iris. It wasn't an unpleasant pulse of anxiety, but a pleasant thrum of expectancy instead. Like a buzzing under his skin, the anticipation kept him awake and alert and surprisingly content. Unfortunately, that tension was accompanied by a low-grade arousal that he couldn't seem to shake no matter how much he focused on his work. Kneading bread was not supposed to be erotic, dammit. He'd always enjoyed baking, but it had a whole different sense of enjoyment when mixed with his naughty thoughts about Iris. Seeing her this morning with her friend, all cute and relaxed and casual, did not help his mental state.

Fortunately, Owen's shift ended before he spontaneously combusted, and he was able to go home and shower off the bread smell that he knew clung to him after work. He took extra time in the shower to reach his three edges, the third of which left him aching, and he switched to ice-cold water for the last few minutes to help his erection subside. Fuck, he wanted to come so badly.

Iris met him down in the lobby of her apartment complex in a cute pair of cropped jeans and a button-down blouse instead of the tank top. Her hair was up in a clip that left a few strands loose to frame her face.

“Do you know where we're going?” Iris asked.

Owen was both excited and curious about visiting the sex shop in person, and with someone else. His only purchases in this area had been made online and alone. He smiled. “Well, yeah.”

“I mean specifically. There's a little shop down on Filmore Street that I've been to a couple of times, and I thought I'd take you.” Iris bit her bottom lip, her teeth dimpling the soft flesh. “Or, at least, I'd like to make some suggestions about things you might want to buy.”

The drive was only about ten minutes, but Owen spent the entire time wanting more than anything to know what she was going to ask him to buy. No matter what, he was excited at the prospect of playtime after their shopping trip. “So you've been to this place before?” He kept his voice neutral, carefully curious without being overly curious.